Why does everything in the universe exist only in positive, non-imaginary numbers?

Could anything physical theoretically exist in negative amounts? Could anything physical have a value of i(n), or -i(n)? Is it even possible to conceptualise it in your imagination?Why does everything in the universe exist only in positive, non-imaginary numbers?
Good question. I think theoretically it could exist somehow, but I don't think it does. But who knows.Why does everything in the universe exist only in positive, non-imaginary numbers?
Where's the zero?





This determines what is positive and what is negative. Math is just a model of describing the world and not actual reality itself. All the different temperature scales chemists use are a perfect example. On the ferenheit scale water freezes at 32 degrees. In terms of celcius, it is exactly zero. Both scales have negative numbers if anything is lower than where ';zero'; happens to be. The extreme case is the Kelvin scale. It has no negative numbers because zero is defined as the coldest anything can physically be.
Numbers are just an abstract way of describing things, and positive, real numbers are how we choose to describe ';how much'; of something there is. But there are other concepts than ';how much';, such as the differences between quantities, directional quantities, and phase relationships, and these are often more conveniently described using other kinds of numbers.
Interesting question. A couple of ideas come to mind. You may argue with my points, but I do believe there are things that exist in negative quantities that are real, physical things.





For instance, what about positive and negative charge? Negative charge is not imaginary, but it is a physical reality measured in negative amounts. The reason you can be sure of this is that if you take two particles of equal but opposite charges, then the net charge is neutral (0). Thus, the negative charge subtracted from the positive charge, making the negative charge a negative amount or quantity.





Also, in the study of wave behavior, waves often have imaginary components. Waves are important in engineering and physics (light is a wave...).





I'm sure there are other uses. I searched google and found a link back to yahoo answers from someone who asked a similar question. I posted the link in my sources.





Hope this helps.
Yes, corporeal negative amounts can and do exist, but anything negative can and does get viewed in a positive manner, so it is seldom recognized as being negative. 1 - 1 can also be written and thought of as 1 + (-1).
Nothing can have an imaginary value in the universe. That's why they're imaginary.


The only way to conceptualize anything like that are via graphs, which are just pictorial representations of numeric values.
Scientists have theorized about negative particles. Apparantly these objects would act in a way that would be opposite to what standard objects would react. I.e. if a negative object was pushed forward it would actually move backwards... Google it... it is pretty cool stuff.
If imaginary numbers existed, then they wouldnt be imaginary, would they?
I could be wrong, but I believe, in Schrodinger's equation, ordinary time is represented as an imaginary number. The part of the equation which represents waves moving backward in time to cancel out the possibilities that did not happen is a real number.
is it 43
Anti-matter... that and Vanilla Jello pudding could be considered the opposite (or negative) of Chocolate Jello pudding.
My bank balance is too often negative, but it certainly exists.
Holy wow!! My brain aches just thinking about this.





How about a black hole? The gravity is so strong that everything and anything caught in its pull will be sucked in and (theoretically) crushed. The mass is so great that there is no measurement for it. SOme think that black holes are portholes to other parts of the galaxy. Would that be a negative amount?





How about the fact that the universe is infinite in size, with no beginning or ending? You cannot measure infinite - I think.





How about debt? If your debt is greater than your worth or your earning potential, you ';have'; a negative amount of money.